Every picture tells a story

[tengk]

I had a fun day at the Canon photo marathon in the good company of Chee Wei exploring different themes, quite different from the stories that i usually look out for.

So here's my interpretation of "Above".

I was not thinking about afterlife but i can't help but noticed something that seems to remind me of it when i looked up to the heavens for a sign to help me with my theme.

Then came beauty among chaos.

The only thing i could come up with was a splash of red in a blurred out back ground.

Earlier on , when i was helping Chee Wei with his shot. I was wondering if he really had to roll around on the ground to get his shot. I mean which sensible grown up would do something like this, what would his wife and kids think!!!

Well, guess what...

My attempt to gather some "Speed" for the last theme met an abrupt end. Damn!I should have changed my cape.

We really had quite a lot of fun participating in this event.

Hi Daoyin,

Thanks for the encouragement.

Your contemplative walk in the park got me thinking , maybe a walk in the park will get me to reflect on life's journy too. So i visited our Chinese Garden, i drew a blank but was inspired by this 入云塔.(for the benefit of non Chinese, the direct translation is "enter cloud pagoda".

裕华园之入云塔.

Thank you very much. I look forward to your stories.

 

[Daoyin]

Nice treatment of the pagoda's dougong (斗&#25329. Interpreting chinese architecture is already a story within itself.

 

[NormanSelvaraju]

Dear tengk,

I took a while to respond to your post, just so that I could get it right. I saw the video and I certainly had fun looking out for the iconic photos. Managed to identify a handful on the first try. Watched it again and got Google to help me identify several others I figured were the intended famous photos. It was an enriching experience!

I know I posted a couple of replies on your thread, without offering you a photo. Here is a set (which hopefully sets the account right), dedicated to you, and your stories, which are always a pleasure to read.

 

[NormanSelvaraju]

Deepavalli 2014 - For tengk

And so, the eve of Deepavalli rolls around and as usual my mom and I make the trip to the Little India to take in the atmosphere and get in the spirit of things for the following day. The only difference this time was that I had another companion with me. My trust 6D.

1) Visitors
The streets were packed with serious bargain hunter and casual onlookers alike. I spotted these two ladies who were making themselves to be a as compact a unit as possible in preparation to enter the "pasar-malam"esque Deepavalli fair. They seemed to be apprehensive about moving amongst the sea of people and yet the scent of rock-bottom prices was too alluring for them to ignore.



2. To the Victor go the Spoils

Once in, its every man, woman and child for himself. Spotting something attractive results in gesticulating, negotiating, frowns, smiles, empty threats of walking away, and finally the exchange of money and goods, with the often heard phrase "Have a good Deepavalli". This lady in the photo is certainly no different, fiercely bargaining with the shopkeep till she felt she had the better end of the bargain.



3. Tension

That being said, the overpowering heat, lack of regard for personal space, incessant jostling and nudging, tempers are bound to flare. Thankfully though, cool heads prevail and nothing more than stares are exchanged. Even so, things could have certainly turned out for the worse.



4. Vendor
5. Bangles and Mesh

The shopkeeps are hard at work, without a moment to lose. Every visitor is a potential customer and even if it means hoisting the wares up and down from the overhanging displays a million imes. After all, to quote a shopkeep, "If I don't sell my pieces today, they'll be out of fashion tomorrow." No rest for the weary, I say.





-to be continued-

 

[NormanSelvaraju]

-continued-

6. Musical Interlude

A perennial inclusion in the fair is the Sri Krishna devotees. These guys walk through the masses in a procession tirelessly singing and dancing adding to the already bustling atmosphere while politely seeking donations. Regardless of what you are doing, you would stop just to catch them as they walk past and share the tremendous energy the exude. "Hare Rama Hare Krishna"



7. Put your hands in the air!

What's a Deepavalli celebration without some intricate Henna art? Ladies, young and old, seek out their favourite Henna art stall and turn their hands into an artist's canvass. The biggest challenge is navigating the narrow lanes filled with an ignorant crowd who can turn a masterpiece, into a smear of nothingness. You have to resort to what ways and means to keep those hands away from contact till the coast is clear. Here is a lady who's got an admirable strategy.



8. Pimp your Ride

A little known occurrence takes place along Serangoon Road just around midnight. Innocuous looking trucks/pick-ups and vans gather and form an impromptu motorcade of sorts. Once the midnight has struck, the convoy takes to the street, light switched on in full splendor, air horns blasting in unison all to signal the start of the joyous occasion of Deepavalli. The street light-ups are pretty, but these lit-up trucks are and absolutely adored by the crowd who cheers as they drive by.



9.Aftermath

Once the dust settles and people start heading back, the emptying street slowly reveals the carnage on the asphalt. Streamers, litter and rubbish will be left behind as a sign of the recently concluded party in the streets. Clean up will be a monumental task, no doubt. But that's another problem for another day. For now, its time to turn to your friends and family and say, Happy Deepavalli.



-End-

 

[tengk]

Hi Norman,

Thanks for gracing the thread with a wonderful story! You certainly got it right!

I absolutely, absolutely love your response!!! More than i could hope for in anyone's response.
I am glad the writer in you is finding the words for the images,
I am currently still gaping from your response.
Here's a high five for you.
( i also pm you and yes the account is now in your favour. Thanks again for sharing it here and i look forward to a new story telling you. )

Hi Stephen,
Thanks to you, i learnt a bit more of the significance of dougong in a pagoda.
Here's something i left out from the caption. I hope i got it right.

耸立之塔，直上云霄。
华人的建筑物很讲究风水，
天时地利的涵意。

 

[tengk]

南安诗山广泽尊王100多年后乘飞机驾临

Thanks to Chee Wei,last night, we got to hang out at his association and witness the visit of the Hong San See temple,s god, 南安诗山广泽尊王.

His present visit is more than 100yrs after his last, hence the air of anticipation.

It was a huge challenge. Place was big and , i was scratching my head wondering what to shoot, i finally decided that i should just stay away and observe the arrival from afar.I knew Chee Wei, Hak Wee and Norman (glad you could come and it was good to meet you face to face) would be in the thick of things. So all bases were covered.

Once on site it was simply a waiting game.

The mood of the place drew the attention of many onlookers.

Curious passerby.

Devotees eagerly waiting.

Warming up for the arrival.

The temple waits...

The devotes started streaming in from all corners of Singapore, making their way to first pay their respects before the arrival of 圣公 (Sheng Gong).

This reminded me of Hak Wee's "devout devotion" from some time back.

Offerings

to be continued...

 

[tengk]

The anticipation of imminent arrival.

The welcome committee.

The arrival of 圣公 (Sheng Gong)

Ascending the steps into the temple.

Presence.

Prayers.

to be continued...

 

[tengk]

The other high point for us is of course trying to capture some of the actions in the lion and dragon dances.

Tonight , the dragons were more active while lions were somewhat docile.

The thing about shooting action scene is that u can miss the shot if u anticipated wrong and ended up with no head no tail shot.(this phrase is best expressed in hokkien)

Here's one.

The low point was that the dragons gave an encore performance and i still ended up with a no head no tail shot. Duh!
All in all, it was great fun shooting and hanging out with the guys.

Thank you very much, I look forward to your stories.

 

[wolfton]

Glad you guys enjoyed the evening and thanks for the photos. The high vantage point pic came in handy.

Have a hardcore one coming up soon, will update you guys again.

 

[Daoyin]

Feng Shan Si is a good manifestation of the syncretic religion of the Chinese.

A story centred on a devotee and his/her relation with the deity (or the protocol) would be nice.

Not easy to photograph given the congested area. Dragon dance shot nice.

 

[tengk]

Chasing dragon was a lot harder than i thought.

Today's event played out like a tale of serendipity.
1.I picked up my FE16-35mm and was wishing i had it last Saturday.
2.A random What'sapp message from Hak Wee asking Chee Wei if there was an opera.
3.Chee Wei said there was and he could drop by too.
4.And since i had my camera with me and nearby too, i thought why not join them.

All i wanted was to shoot a wide angle view of the opera stage in the middle of the city.

"centre of attraction"

I have included a full resolution image for those wanting to know about the lens.
ISO320, 1/4 sec, f4, 20mm

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5606/15581688920_e8f08b7b68_o.jpg

Hi Chee Wei, looking forward to the next "hardcore one":bsmilie:
Hi Stephen, Thanks again for teaching me another new word, "syncretic". Hopefully i can follow the journey of a devotee during next year's Vesak Day. Expect to catch glimpses of dragon from tonight's chance encounter as soon as i pp them. It was realy dark. Struggling with ISO12800...

to be continued...

 

[tengk]

Chasing dragon in the dark was really fun but filled with uncertainty. However, successful captures were most satisfying.

Dragon cometh.

Dragon dances.

Dragon spills balls of fire

Dragon on fire

Dragon departs.

The images captured prior to post processing were uninspiring. Thanks to the dynamic range of the a7r, i could tweak the raw files and bring out the hidden details.

The only thing i can't and didn't try to match is the colour in every image. Not a bad start for the FE16-35mm that i just picked up that afternoon. Every image was at ISO12800 except dragon departs at ISO1600.

Like i said serendipity played a part.

Guess what? The lions awakened...

too be continued...

 

[macaroni]

Great shots, wished I could be there that night. On a personal note, did u mute the highlights of "Dragon spills balls of fire"? Cos I think the lighting is perfect for a high contrast picture.

 

[tengk]

Hi Hak Wee,

Haha, you guys were there that night, it was thanks to your Whatsapp message that i turned up for this unexpected event. I remember you feeling somewhat short changed by having your fuji cam instead of you d800. You must be so traumatised by not having the D800 that you forgot that night.:bsmilie:

I know what you mean.The dragon spills shot is a bit soft in spite of having little pockets of lighted area. I will give that image a break before i rework it, somehow i can't seem to get it in spite of working and reworking it.
In fact i had a lot of trouble tweaking the colours for the above shots.

So to make up for the soft colour image, here is one which i hope you will like.
Finally a "Ooh thau ooh buay" shot.(got head got tail).
The colour version washed out, but revived in the BW version. A bit noisy though ISO12800.

It is the next series, "the lion awakens" that you missed and wished you were there!
coming up next...

 

[tengk]

The lion awakens.

"Your turn"

Music to my ears.

Dancing to the beat.

Star of the show, fluttering eyes n twinkle toes.

To be continued...

 

[tengk]

Oops. Posted double

 

[tengk]

Now that you have seen the performances, it is time to look behind the scenes. Besides, to me finding interesting background images is just as exciting.

Who can resist the urge to pat a lion.
I want to pat a lion or tiger too but for now any cat will do.
Behind the scene.

He must have read about my batman mask.
Arrival of spectators.

Checking the base for stabilty is an important task.
I am sure there is hierarchy among this brotherhood and i can guess who the big brother is.
Marking the stage.

Incredible display of athleticism.
A local version of Wong Fei Hong played out in my mind.
Qing gong.

Up close, you can clearly pickup all the little expressions that make the lions come alive.
But all good things must come to an end.
Lions depart.

In all my years, this is the first time i caught a lion performance on stilts n so many dragon dances. Not to mention free run of the place. Needless to say, it had been a visual spectacle as well as a white balance and high iso nightmare. I will rework some of the images to correct for local white balance.(i just realised the capture pro 8 has a local white balance adjustment layer!)

Chee Wei, thanks a lot for the lobang. Dinner on me the next time we meet.

Thank you very much. I look forward to your stories.

 

[tengk]

The new year brings with it hopes of greener pastures for many but others will be battling looming dark clouds.

Green pastures and dark clouds.

My heart goes out to a friend who will have to stay strong in the battle against uncertainty.

Strength in the face of uncertainty.

On the photographic front, i hope to remain curious of my immediate surrounding.

Curiousity.

Here's wishing all the contributors to "streets and candids" and all my friends and visitors to this thread a Happy New Year.

 

[tengk]

I needed a story to warm up for the new year!, so our usual public holiday walk presented me with an excuse to whip out my camera.
I decided a new strategy was needed to kick start the new year. No more hide and seek or observation of my surroundings to seek out subjects.

Hide and seek, not again!

The random appearance of an angler gave me an idea. "I shall fish for my subjects".

Going fishing.

But i needed a sign to show me the place to fish from. I found my sign! NO ENTRY.

A sign.

So i settled into the spot after the 2 persons vacated it.

...and waited...

...and waited...